Continuous calendar



I V EN TOR.

ATTORNEYS.

CONTINUQUS CALENDAR Emory S. Russell, Kenmore, N. Y.

Application January 26, 1956, Serial No. 561,492

2 Claims. (Cl. 40-115) This invention relates to a continuous calendarcapable of being set to expose a group of figures corresponding to theconventional calendar sheet for a selected month of a selected year, thesubject of the invention being capable of embracing a large number ofyears from dozens to thousands of years so that the calendar can beproduced to determine the weekday of the numerically designated day ofany month, past, present or future.

One of the principal objects of the present invention is to provide sucha continuous calendar capable of being so set to expose the conventionalcalendar representation of selected months over a range of many yearswhich can be readily set by one having little skill and by followingsimple directions accompanying the calendar.

Another object is to provide such a calendar which is in the form of asimple disk member rotatably mounted on a support in which the settingand reading of the calendar can be effected through a pair of windowsthrough which successive portions of the disk can be seen.

Another object is to provide such a calendar in which the disk andsupport can be made of paper board so as to be produced veryinexpensively.

Another object is to produce the representation of a large number ofconventional monthly calendar sheets from a single band of numerals byexposing successive portions of said band, a different calendar sheetrepresentation being obtained each time an exposure is made and suchexposures providing representations of all possible monthly calendarsheets.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description and drawings in which:

Fig. l is a front elevational view of a continuous calendar embodyingthe present invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical central section taken on line 2-2, Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a front elevational view of the rotary member or disk forminga movable part of the calendar.

Fig. 4 is part of a chart, particularly convenient for a very largenumber of years are embraced by the calendar, showing the manner inwhich successive years can be represented by repeating successions oftwenty-eight symbols, such as alphabetical letters, so that by providinga chart of any number of years, the continuous calendar can be used forany month of any of such years by the simple expedient of using thealphabetical symbol for that year.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 1 and showing the manner inwhich the disk member can be, calibrated directly in years by theirseveral numbers instead of by alphabetical symbols as shown in Fig. 1and which symbols require thechart of Fig. 4 or equivalent calculatingdevice.

The continuous calendar is shown as having a back part it which is madeof paper board or of any other suitable material and which'is shown asbeing or generallyVcircular form. The calendar also has a face part 11"also of nited tates Patent paper board or the like which is shown asconforming to the back part 10 and arranged in register with this backpart. A member in the form of a rotatable disk, belt or drum 12 is shownas sandwiched between the face part 11 and back part 10, andthis diskcan be of any sheet material such as paper board. The disk member can berotatably mounted in any suitable manner such as shown in my priorPatent No. 2,595,299, dated May 6, 1952, for Disk Slide Rule, but forsimplicity is shown as rotating on the periphery of a small hub disk 13which is clamped between the face and back parts 11, 10 by a grommet oreyelet 14. The mating edges of the face and back parts 11, 10 are shownas being ofiset toward each other and adhesively seamed together,indicated at 15, to form a pocket 16 for the disk part 12.? The facepart 11 can'bear any suitable ornamentation or advertising 18 and theback part 10 can bear a chart 19 a fragment of which is indicated inFig. 4. r

A feature of the invention resides in the form of an endless circularband 20 composed of a multiplicity of numerals 21. This band of numeralsis concentric with the axis of rotation of the disk 12, that is,concentric with the eyelet 14. These numerals 21 are arranged inthirty-five regularly spaced radialrows 22, or multiple of thirty-five.In other words, the radial rows 22 are in a number divisible bythirty-five to produce a whole number. The numerals 21 are also arrangedin regularly spaced, overlapping, generally spiral rows 23, these spiralrows being generated about the axis of rotation of the disk 12. To usethe disk 12 for more than one rotation, there must be five-or amultipleof five ofthese generally spiral rows 23. In other words, the spiralrows 23 are in a number divisible by five to produce a whole number.Each spiral row 23 is composed of successive numerals 21 numbering fromone to thirty-one in, ascending order from left to right at that areawhere the numerals 21 are uprightto the observer. In thecontinuous'calendar,-as illustrated, this area where the numerals 21 are upright-to:the observer is at the bottom of the calendar as shown in Figs. 1 and3. The initial numeral one of each of the spiral rows 23 is the topnumeral, in this area, of every seventh radial row 22.

The bottom of the face part 11 is notched or cut away to form a window25 exposing a block of seven consecutive radial rows 22 of the band 20of numerals on the disk 12. This block of seven consecutive radial rows22 of the numerals 21 is composed, of course, of segments of the spiralrows 23 and it will particularly be noted that regardless of which blockof seven consecutive radial rows of the numerals 21 is exposed throughthe window 25, the successive numerals of the exposed segments of thespiral rows 23 read consecutively from one to thirty-one in the mannerof a conventional calendar sheet.

At the top rim of the window 25, the face part 11 has the conventionalSun., Mon., Tues, etc. printed to be above and aline with the sevenexposed radial rows 22 of numerals. Accordingly, these day of the weekdesignationsserve all of the successive segmental blocks of the band 20of numerals and it will be seen that as the band of numerals isprogressed one radial row 22 at a time, the first day of the month isprogressively shifted one weekday at a time.

The continuous calendar also includes means for severally identifyingthe succession of blocks of the seven radial rows 22 progressivelyaround the band 20 of numerals 21. These means are shown as comprising asecond window 28 through whicha second band 29 of indicia is visible.The .indicia of this second hand designates successive years. 'Thisdesignation can be directly in the numbers of the years as 1954, 1955,etc. designated by 554, 55, etci'as in Fig. 5, or it can be in letters,such as the alphabet showntin Figs.- 1, 3'wandv4 and. which, it willbenoted, includes the additional letters Zi and Z0 so as to have 'asequence of twenty-eight letters. The reason for this is that the samesequence of variations in the calendar repeats itself every twenty-eightyear. Accordingly, by having the band 29 calibrated in letters or othersymbols, it can be used for an endless number of years by the simpleexpedient of providing, as on the back of the calendar, 21 chart, asshown in'Fig. 4, with as many years as are desired and with eachsequence of twentyeight yea-rs severally designated by the symbols, suchas A, -B, C, etc. to Z, Zi and Z0. It will also be understood thatinstead of the chart shown in Fig. 4, the disk 12 could include anotherrotary indicator to determine the particular symbols associated withparticular years over a wide range of years since the pattern repeatsitself every twenty-eight years. As this is merely a simple calculatingproblem, and hence forms no part of the present invention, it is notillustrated.

The rim of the second window is calibrated in the twelve months of theyear as indicated at 30 in Figs. '1 and 5. This calibration includeslines 31 leading from the designations J an., Feb, etc. to the margin ofthe rim of the window 28, as shown. These lines are arranged to registerwith lines '32 on the disk 12 and which lines 32 are severallyassociated with the symbols or year numbers of the band 29. It will benoted in the calibration in months on the rim of the window 28, themonths of January and February are below the window and March- November,September-December and April-July are in the form of couplets, eachcouplet having a common line. It will also be noted that every fourthsymbol 'or year number on the band 29 (corresponding to the leap years)has upwardly and downwardly extending lines which are out of radialalinement both with respect to the leap year symbol with which they areassociated and also with respect to each other.

In the use of the continuous calendar shown in Figs. 1-4, assuming onewishes to know what weekday on which fifteenth day of January 1956 fell,he would first consult the chart, Fig. 4, and determine that 1956 isrepresented by the letter EJ 'He would then turn the disk 12 until thecalibration line -32 of the letter B was in register with thecalibration line 31 of J an." Since 1956 is a leap year, the calibrationlines 32 are out of radial alinement both with this letter B and alsowith each other. So turning the letter B to register with Jan.automatically exposes the block of seven radial lines of numerals asillustrated in Fig. 1. This block of numerals is the correct calendarrepresentation for January of 1956 and hence it can readily bedetermined that the 15th day of January 1956 fell "on a Sunday, sincethe radial line of numerals, which includes the numeral 15, is in linewith Sun. The fact "that the representation of each monthly calendarsheet has'31 days is of little consequence since one would not beinterested in obtaining information concerning nonexistent calendardays.

Since the same sequence of variations in the calendar repeats itselfevery twenty-eight years, by providing twenty-eight symbols viewablethrough the window 28, it is possible to extend the operation of thecontinuous calendar indefinitely by simply extending the chart, Fig. 4,to include as many years "as may be desired. Thus, setting of thecalendar so that the letter E registers for January 1956, as shown inFig. 1, provides the block of seven radial rows 22 in numerals whichblock of numerals is equally valid for 1928, 1984 and 2012. 1900 wouldnot be included in this because this particular year is a centennialyear and according to the Gregorian calendar is exeludedfrom being aleap year.

If, of course, a very limited range is desired, instead of using thealphabetical symbols, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, in combination with thechart, Fig. 4, the: 'band 29 can be calibrated directly in the numbersof the years as shown in the modification, Fig. 5. However, in thisevent, the extent of the calendar would be limited to the roomavailable'for the year numbers on thisband'29 4 and hence with thecalendar arrangement as shown in Figs. l-4, would be limited totwenty-eight years. Of course, this could be any twenty-eight years.

By the use of the chart, as shown in Fig. 4, the symbolyear associationcan be made to provide a correct designation for all yea-rs regardlessof the fact that under the Gregorian system, centennial years are notleap years unless equally divisible by 400.

I From the foregoing, particularly by the arrangement of the numerals 21in both generally spiral and also radial rows, it will be seen that asimple and easily understood continuous calendar can be provided by theexpedient of progressively exposing blocks of seven such radial rows,the succession of blocks correctly representing the numerals of monthlyconventional calendar sheets for any month of any year.

I claim:

l. A calendar of the character described, comprising a member having anendless circular band composed of a multiplicity of numerals, saidnumerals being arranged in regularly spaced radial rows, said radialrows being in a number divisible by thirty-five to produce a wholenumber, and said numerals also being arranged in regularly spaced,overlapping, generally spiral rows, said spiral rows being in a numberdivisible by five to produce a whole number, each of said generallyspiral rows being composed of consecutive numerals from one tothirty-one in ascending order from left to right at that area where thenumerals are upright to the observer, the numeral one of each of saidgenerally spiral rows being the top numeral, in said area, of everyseventh radial row whereby exposing any seven consecutive rows at saidarea will provide a segmental block of numerals composed of segments ofsaid generally spiral rows, the successive numetals of which segmentsread consecutively from one to thirty-one in the manner of aconventional calendar sheet, and means arranged to expose a successionof said segmental blocks of numerals progressively around said band, andmeans jointly carried by said member and said means arranged to expose asuccession of said segmental blocks of numerals for identifying thesegmental block of numerals associated with a particular year and month.

2. A calendar of the character described, comprising a first memberhaving a row of spaced symbols on one face severally representingparticular years, a second member arranged against said face of saidfirst member and having a window arranged to expose a plurality of saidsymbols and being elongated in the direction of said row, said membersbeing movable relative to each other lengthwise of said window toprogressively expose said symbols through said window, said secondmember having on one longitudinal side of said window a pair ofcalibration lines associated with symbols representing the months ofJanuary and February, respectively, and said second member having on theother longitudinal side of said Window a plurality of calibration linesassociated with symbols representing the remaining ten months of theyear, a pair of substantially alining calibration lines 'on said firstmember associated with each symbol thereon which represents a commonyear and extending to the opposite longitudinal sides of said window, apair of offset calibration lines on said first member assoelated-witheach symbol thereon which represents a leap year and extending to theopposite longitudinal side of said window, and means providing therepresentation of a monthly calendar sheet corresponding to the monthand year 'to which said calibration lines are set to register.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,429,096 Pethick Sept. 12, 1922 1,692,758 Nogrady Nov. 20, 19281,949,328 Pinkerton Feb. 27, 1934

